3 reasons Dean Wade should start at small forward for Cavs

3 reasons Dean Wade should start for Cavs: Success of his lineups

There is no one outside of the Wade family and perhaps our own John Suchan who thinks that Dean Wade is a more talented player overall than Lauri Markkanen, but the results from the past season show that Wade is a better fit around the stars of the starting lineup.

Let’s look at lineups where Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are all on the court. The starting lineup with Isaac Okoro at the 2 and Markkanen at the 3? An extremely strong +10.2 in 455 competitive possessions per Cleaning the Glass, a clear indicator that Bickerstaff was on to something putting that grouping together.

Now take that same group and swap Dean Wade for Markkanen? in 218 possessions, still a hearty sample size, that net rating jumps to +19.3, in the 88th percentile of all lineups leaguewide. And if you narrow things down to lineups that saw at least 100 minutes the Cavs’ group with Wade checks in at sixth overall. Dean Wade plus starters equal dominance.

It’s a similar story with Collin Sexton inserted into Isaac Okoro’s spot. Markkanen at the 3 with that group was +2.1 in 140 possessions early last season, while Dean Wade with that same group clocked in at +8.8 over 76. Cedi Osman at the 2? Wade was at +20 in a handful of possessions. Wade’s the best 3-and-D player on the team, and he makes for a seamless fit with the games of Garland, Allen and Mobley. He makes good things happen when he is on the court.